Expert: Russell Smiley - 11/7/2007

Question
I occasionally buy things from ebay, but now I would like to start selling, Any information you can give me to start and be successful would be great. Thanks

Answer
Hi, I would be glad to help you out this evening. I also started out by occasionally buying things on eBay. To set a seller account you will need a checking account, credit card or debit card, and a PayPal account (Optional). I'm not sure if you need a checking account, but I believe they now require you to enter you router number and checking account number for validation purposes, I never needed one when I started up my account, but that was a long time ago and I believe that has changed. All you have to do is click the selling tab and it will walk you though the process of setting up a seller's account, very easy. After you set up a Seller Account, you will want to set up a PayPal account. Most sellers pay by PayPal, so if you don't have one, many sellers will not even bid on your auctions, unless you accept PayPal. You can go to PayPal and choose the type of account you would like to set up, it takes you though the whole process. Once you have a PayPal account, you will then update your eBay information and put your PayPal email account on file, so sellers can pay you. When you first sell you should start by selling small items that cost around $10-435 until you build up a good feedback rating. This way sellers know they can trust you. After you build up a good feedback rating, you can start selling more expensive items. When you sell, you don't need to many options, every option that you want will cost you more money. You need a picture which is free, if you just have one picture, and a gallery. This way they can see what your item looks like before they click on your listing. A gallery only cost 35 cents. You don't need bold listings or none of that fancy stuff, never needed it and don't believe its that important. After you have a positive feedback of 10+, you can have the option of buying it now, this allows your seller to buy it now without bidding. Their is a fee though if you have this option. Before listing your item, see how much other sellers are selling the same item and set the price around their. The title should include the item name, and something else that will make the item easy to find for example, if you are selling a video game, type Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 game new. If the buyer types any of these words, it will come up in the listing. I recommend buying a scale, so you know how much shipping will be. You should make the seller pay for Shipping. Once you sell the item, the buyer will pay via PayPal. After you receive payment, you ship to buyer.  Then you leave positive Feedback and the buyer will usually do the same. You can also create a shipping label, which I believe is cheaper then going to the post office. I hope this has helped you, if you have any more questions just let me know.